Steven E. Koonin

'Greenland’s ice loss is accelerating.' 'Extreme temperatures are causing more fatalities.' 'Rapid 'climate action' is essential to avoid a future climate disaster.' You've heard all this presented as fact. But according to science, all of these statements are profoundly misleading. With the new edition of Unsettled, Steven Koonin draws on decades of experience - including as a top science advisor to the Obama administration - to clear away the fog and explain what science really says (and doesn't say). With a new introduction, this edition now features reflections on an additional three years of eye-opening data, alternatives to unrealistic “net zero” solutions, global energy inequalities, and the energy crisis arising from the war in Ukraine. When it comes to climate change, the media, politicians, and other prominent voices have declared that “the science is settled.” In reality, the climate is changing, but the why and how aren’t as clear as you’ve probably been led to believe. Koonin takes readers behind the headlines, dispels popular myths, and unveils little-known truths: Despite rising greenhouse gas emissions, global temperatures decreased from 1940 to 1970 - Models currently used to predict the future do not accurately describe the climate of the past, and modelers themselves strongly doubt their regional predictions - There is no compelling evidence that hurricanes are becoming more frequent - or that predictions of rapid sea level rise have any validity - Unsettled is a reality check buoyed by hope, offering the truth about climate science - what we know, what we don’t, and what it all means for our future.

Forlagets omtale: Du har hørt det tusen ganger før: Vitenskapen sier at verden er i klimakrise. Stigende temperaturer skaper mer ekstremvær med flere hetebølger, flommer og skogbranner. Alt er menneskehetens skyld, for vi bruker fossil energi og slipper ut klimagasser. Vi må slutte med det snarest for ikke å ødelegge planeten. Men det er ikke sant. Vitenskapelige data vitner hverken om klimakrise, hyppigere katastrofer eller dårligere livsgrunnlag. Hvor mye menneskeheten bidrar til klimaendringer, er ikke fastslått, men påvirkningen er beskjeden. Og radikale endringer i energisystemer kan skape større problemer enn klimaendringer. Klimapolitikken har enorme konsekvenser, men folk flest vet nesten ingenting om det vitenskapelige grunnlaget. Det klimaforskningen egentlig sier, har uansett lite til felles med de forvrengningene av den som vi får fra medier, politikere, aktivister og selv vitenskapsfolk, påviser Steven E. Koonin. Forfatteren er en av USAs fremste og høyest betrodde vitenskapsmenn. I tretti år har han vært professor i fysikk ved Caltech, et av verdens beste universiteter, han var en av pionerene innen beregningsorientert fysikk, som er selve hjertet i klimaforskningen, og USAs regjering benytter ham som rådgiver i saker som gjelder nasjonal sikkerhet.

WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER • 2022 IPPY AWARDS GOLD MEDALIST — SCIENCE • NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS FINALIST — POLITICAL • 2021 WORLD MAGAZINE ACCESSIBLE SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR — HONORABLE MENTION"Unsettled is a remarkable book—probably the best book on climate change for the intelligent layperson—that achieves the feat of conveying complex information clearly and in depth." —Claremont Review of Books“[Unsettled] is no polemic. It’s a plea for understanding how scientists extract clarity from complexity.” — Wall Street Journal"Surging sea levels are inundating the coasts." "Hurricanes and tornadoes are becoming fiercer and more frequent." "Climate change will be an economic disaster." You've heard all this presented as fact. But according to science, all of these statements are profoundly misleading. When it comes to climate change, the media, politicians, and other prominent voices have declared that "the science is settled." In reality, the long game of telephone from research to reports to the popular media is corrupted by misunderstanding and misinformation. Core questions—about the way the climate is responding to our influence, and what the impacts will be—remain largely unanswered. The climate is changing, but the why and how aren't as clear as you've probably been led to believe. Now, one of America's most distinguished scientists is clearing away the fog to explain what science really says (and doesn't say) about our changing climate. In Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters, Steven Koonin draws upon his decades of experience—including as a top science advisor to the Obama administration—to provide up-to-date insights and expert perspective free from political agendas. Fascinating, clear-headed, and full of surprises, this book gives readers the tools to both understand the climate issue and be savvier consumers of science media in general. Koonin takes readers behind the headlines to the more nuanced science itself, showing us where it comes from and guiding us through the implications of the evidence. He dispels popular myths and unveils little-known truths: despite a dramatic rise in greenhouse gas emissions, global temperatures actually decreased from 1940 to 1970. What's more, the models we use to predict the future aren't able to accurately describe the climate of the past, suggesting they are deeply flawed. Koonin also tackles society's response to a changing climate, using data-driven analysis to explain why many proposed "solutions" would be ineffective, and discussing how alternatives like adaptation and, if necessary, geoengineering will ensure humanity continues to prosper. Unsettled is a reality check buoyed by hope, offering the truth about climate science that you aren't getting elsewhere—what we know, what we don't, and what it all means for our future.

Computational Physics is designed to provide direct experience in the computer modeling of physical systems. Its scope includes the essential numerical techniques needed to "do physics" on a computer. Each of these is developed heuristically in the text, with the aid of simple mathematical illustrations. However, the real value of the book is in the eight Examples and Projects, where the reader is guided in applying these techniques to substantial problems in classical, quantum, or statistical mechanics. These problems have been chosen to enrich the standard physics curriculum at the advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate level. The book will also be useful to physicists, engineers, and chemists interested in computer modeling and numerical techniques. Although the user-friendly and fully documented programs are written in FORTRAN, a casual familiarity with any other high-level language, such as BASIC, PASCAL, or C, is sufficient. The codes in BASIC and FORTRAN are available on the web at Github and the repository is named "Computational-Physics-Koonin". (Please follow the link at the bottom of the page). They are available in zip format, which can be expanded on UNIX, Window, and Mac systems with the proper software. The codes are suitable for use (with minor changes) on any machine with a FORTRAN-77 compatible compiler or BASIC compiler. The FORTRAN graphics codes are available as well. However, as they were originally written to run on the VAX, major modifications must be made to make them run on other machines.

Computational Physics is designed to provide direct experience in the computer modeling of physical systems. Its scope includes the essential numerical techniques needed to "do physics" on a computer. Each of these is developed heuristically in the text, with the aid of simple mathematical illustrations. However, the real value of the book is in the eight Examples and Projects, where the reader is guided in applying these techniques to substantial problems in classical, quantum, or statistical mechanics. These problems have been chosen to enrich the standard physics curriculum at the advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate level. The book will also be useful to physicists, engineers, and chemists interested in computer modeling and numerical techniques. Although the user-friendly and fully documented programs are written in FORTRAN, a casual familiarity with any other high-level language, such as BASIC, PASCAL, or C, is sufficient. The codes in BASIC and FORTRAN are available on the web at http://www.computationalphysics.info (Please follow the link at the bottom of the page). They are available in zip format, which can be expanded on UNIX, Window, and Mac systems with the proper software. The codes are suitable for use (with minor changes) on any machine with a FORTRAN-77 compatible compiler or BASIC compiler. The FORTRAN graphics codes are available as well. However, as they were originally written to run on the VAX, major modifications must be made to make them run on other machines.